


Press Start

by BellJarred



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Adulthood, F/M, M/M, MC - Freeform, MM, Main character - Freeform, Mystic Messenger - Freeform, Other, Otome - Freeform, Reader-Insert, Romance, Self-Insert, Yoosung/Reader - Freeform, lolol, reader - Freeform, slow-burn, slowburn, yoosung - Freeform, yoosung/mc
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-13
Updated: 2018-02-18
Packaged: 2019-03-17 17:57:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 15,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13664268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BellJarred/pseuds/BellJarred
Summary: Seeking to blow off some steam, overworked twenty-something convenience store clerk, [Full Name], downloads a new game on their day off. Little do they know that this simple gesture is about to change their life for the better--are you ready to press start?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Firstly, Disclaimer: I don't own Mystic Messenger or any of the characters involved. Other than the tentative plot of this story and the addition of the fictitious background character, Minjun Park, nothing is mine, y'all.
> 
> Now, I feel like 707 is the most popular route in this otome, but I have such a soft spot for Yoosung you have no idea. If this story gets any feedback at all, and you guys would like a 707 or other MM character story, feel free to let me know and I'll see what I can do!
> 
> I'm going to write Reader as a Main Character derivative--that is to say, the Unknown shtick will still be in motion later. However, I'm putting a spin on this by having Reader play LOLOL before the realization of these events. 
> 
> I think that's basically it, so if y'all have any questions, concerns, or commentary feel free to drop me a line! I hope you guys like this.

"Thank you for shopping at Daily Mart~!"

"You're so robotic, [First Name]. Sometimes I think our customers confuse your greetings with the door chime."

Your mouth is affixed in a wide grin, and a single hand remains in the air, a lingering salutations to a customer that has long since departed. You look the part of a perfect customer service representative, cheerful, polite, and poised. Of course, this is simply how you  _look_  to the world.

_Twitch. Twitch._

_"Eh?_ Has our Cashiertron 3000 malfunctioned? My, my, and just what will I tell the manager--?"

"I will literally force-feed you your own entrails, Park," you scowl at the ever-present thorn in your side, Park Minjun. Your place of work was not an expansive one, so there were only two possible coworkers to pair up with you for the morning shift. Unfortunately, it just so happened that Minjun was the most common candidate. 

An infectious chortle escaped Minjun at this seamless transition from light to dark--oh, how he loved to tease his junior. 

"Relax, [First Name]," he dismisses with a wave of his hand. "Your fuse is delightfully short these days. Maybe the long hours are getting to you?"

Your cheeks darkened at the embarrassment of having been caught in his trap once more, and so you made a mad grab for a spare rag and some cleaning supplies in an effort to distract yourself. 

"That's another thing," you murmur, spritzing the counter top with something lemony-fresh. "Who told you it was okay to be so informal? I may be younger than you, but we're  _not_  close."

 _Zap._ Minjun recoils from the sting of white-hot lightening to his fragile heart. His held tilts downwards, shadowing his chocolate brown eyes from view as you, seemingly unfazed by the consequences of your remark, rub tirelessly at any smudge that dare burden the perimeter of the checkout area. 

"So mean..." Minjun mumbles pitiably as he slinks towards the back of the "employee only" zone, probably seeking to check stock in his downtime.

Despite your often calloused and comical correspondences, Minjun and yourself maintain a decent friendship. Unlike yourself, who maintains a lifestyle one letter away from a N.E.E.T-like existence, Minjun balances his work hours with a full roster of university courses, and a semi-flourishing social life. With such a well-rounded balance of activities, it's no wonder that he always seems to be in a better mood than you.

"Childish pretty boy," you snort, attempting to swat away the visualization of a smirking Minjun surrounded by friends, academic awards, and piles of money. "But still..."

Minjun may have been juvenile, but he was not far from the mark in regards to his "long hours" quip. After all, you were now working considerably more than you used to thanks to the newfound shift of available convenience store workers. In the past, your small store had been outfitted with one manager and six employees to balance the 24/7 store hours. However, one of the other workers, a woman in her mid-thirties who often alternated days with you on the first shift, had been out of commission on maternity leave. Rather than higher a part-timer to pick up the slack, your cheapskate manager had been pawning off the necessary extra hours on you.

"Okay, overstock at 100%!" Minjun calls after thirty minutes or so of your silent reverie and tidying up. Typical to a Sunday, there has been nary a customer in any more than, say, once per hour, affording plenty of time for the two of you to busy yourselves with menial labors.

Somehow, his cheesy thumbs-up and accompanying grin are a welcomed relief from your inner-monologue of vocational woes. 

"Say, Park," you begin casually, running a hand through your [h/c] locks. "Just what is it you do to unwind?"

Taken aback by your inquiry, Minjun covers his face with his hands.

"Goodness, [First Name], I never knew you to be so  _forward_!" 

**~○~**

"L-League of Loneliness?"

Your mouse quivers above a button that proclaims in emboldened letters, "Start Download!"

"Loneliness, are you serious?" 

Your right eyebrow twitches in disbelief at the webpage before you, heralding the existence of what has been deemed Korea's #1 top-rated MMORPG: League of Loneliness of Life. 

"Well, no wonder Park simply called it LOLOL," you murmur quietly to yourself, concluding that such an abbreviation was apt for something that was, firstly, far too embarrassing a title to utter out loud, and, secondly, so pathetic sounding that it it did, indeed, make you want to LOL. 

Swallowing every inch of pride your twenty-something self had accrued in life, you gave the download prompt a swift click of approval. After all, it wasn't as though you had anything better to do on your day-off, right? Outside of work--which, by the way, was so life-consuming that you hardly had the time to consider anything "outside" of it--you were the sort of person that kept quietly to yourself. You lived a life without much fuss, went to bed at a healthy time, stayed in on weekends, never ate junk food, and spent entirely too much recreational time engrossed with reruns of popular K-Dramas of years past. 

If you were to take a look at yourself from a stranger's perspective, you would regard this life as nothing out of the ordinary. You would regard yourself as little more than another face in the crowd. Until recently, you had thought you were fine with that assessment. Perhaps there was something about working with Minjun and his perpetual zest for life that had left a dissatisfied taste in your mouth. It didn't quite sit well with you how somebody as carefree as he could lead such a rewarding, multi-faceted life whilst you burned out quietly in the corner. Perhaps it was this covetous sensation that led you down the rabbit whole of unwinding the Minjun Park way, thirty-thousand won per month.

"Choose your character!" 

Whilst your computer sluggishly surged through a few hours' worth of downloadable content, you feasted on an affordably-priced carton of kimbap purchased from work the day before. When the game finally came to life with the singsong declaration of character selection, you found yourself considerably more excited than you expected. 

As far as MMORPGS went, you weren't very familiar with the format. Judging from the options allotted, though, it seemed like there were a vast range of playable character types ranging from mecha archetypes to cold-blooded enchanters. Feeling vastly under-qualified to make such a serious decision so early on in your LOLOL career, you opted finally for the "Healer" character which you had tentatively concluded to be the safest choice.

After the character you had selected released a cutesy battle cry, the game transitioned to a screen of available servers--my, there were so many choices to be made, weren't there? 

"What's a server?" You blinked owlishly at the screen before reading through each possibility. Some of the "server" names were a bit more euphonious than others, but when your eyes at last found the words "Shooting Star" you felt immediately relieved.

"Well, doesn't this one sound nice?" 


	2. Nobody Special

"LEVEL UP!"

How long had it been now?

"Finally," you murmur, and your chair reels backwards from one, resilient kick of your slipper-clad feet.  You clasp your hands behind your head, hardly looking as spent as you feel in this moment, before commencing with a little victory spin of your wheeled throne. "Rank #2521, I'm coming for you~"

As it happens, the Healer's path is a slow-moving one. It seemed harmless enough to pick a class that was guaranteed health regeneration and which boasted of high defense and cool armor, but that was only if you ignored its one, fatal flaw: cooperative play.

Although often overlooked, the second "M" in MMORPG did, in fact, stand for  _multiplayer_. To a lot of players, this aspect is responsible for most of a game's enjoyment. When playing as a team, one can play in cooperation or competition. They can make friends, tackle otherwise impossible levels with the aid of a powerful comrade, and, in some cases, even find romance.

 

But some MMORPGs, such as LOLOL, brought a terrible twist to the option of co-op conquests by making the "optional" obsolete in some cases. For instance, whilst the Healer class was built for withstanding heavy blows and healing without the purchase of health potions or stamina droughts, its accessibility was brought down by an incredibly small attack power.

You, [Full Name], upon being both unfamiliar with the trials and tribulations of online friendships as well as blatantly unwilling to call upon Park Minjun for help, found out the hard way about the faults of your chosen class.

Certainly animate skeletons and cutesy gremlin monsters, designed to pose a temporary roadblock to the progression of unprepared noobs, were but a dent in your defense-boosted armor. Seldom could a monster land a hit before you were already hot-keying a spell in pursuit of a topped-off health bar, but...

"Six hit-points per attack is so cruel, my goodness," you whine to no one in particular as you scoot back to your computer desk, tiny victory break now concluded. "How can they expect me to do anything fun when I'm stuck flinging tiny daggers at mountain pigs? It's all I can kill, and there's hardly any EXP!"

Taking hold of the computer mouse before you, a small cat-themed design glistening from the sweat of an anxious palm, you proceed to accept all of the rewards that a level-up provides. 

Although the pursuit of progression seemed stressful and, at times, downright impossible to you, you found yourselves enamored with the relief a succinct kill or a congratulations graphic brought you. This roller coaster ride of victories and defeat, and all of the emotions it brought, allowed you to understand your coworker a little bit more. Park Minjun may have seemed a little bit eclectic to you, but, boy, was he good at "stress-free." 

Reminded of work, your eyes shot to the digital clock decal, clicking away in the corner of your screen.  **24:32**  glared back at you as if to say, "My goodness, what kind of irresponsible adult isn't in bed by now?"

"I've wasted my whole day off!" you exclaimed in alarm. How had what felt like grueling centuries of mountain pig farming passed by so quickly? "I'd guess I'd better call it a night--"

Your computer released a sudden ding, and in the sidebar menu of your opened window, the speech bubble icon began to pulse. With furrowed brow you brought your cursor over to the icon in question, and you became all the more confused when the words "New Whisper!" appeared before you.

"Whisper?" you queried, barely audible and followed shortly by a decisive left-click. 

From  **NobodySpecial**

_"I've never seen a Healer so bent on solo-play."_

You weren't entirely sure what to feel at this blunt salutation, and, more importantly, of the sketchy username that had penned it. NobodySpecial? Was that level of self-deprecation, or, conversely, cool irony, supposed to be hip with the kids nowadays? Thinking of your own username, [First Name]123, you felt mildly embarrassed. 

From  **[First Name]123**

_"Yeah, well. Nobody told me how difficult it was to do Healer without a team, pal."_

Not too far from your avatar, you notice a Rogue class character perform the "laugh" action as it slaps a hand against its chiseled knee. A casual click of the mouse reveals to you that, expectantly, it appears to belong to NobodySpecial.

From  **NobodySpecial**

_"Group up with me, [Ms/Mr]123. I just know it'll be interesting."_

You quirk a brow at this bold offer, taken aback both by it and the friend request that appears seconds afterwards. Team up with him?  _Well,_  you reason wordlessly,  _if I embarrass myself I can always uninstall the game and revert to taking out my frustrations on Park_.

From  **[First Name]123**

" _Eh, why the hell not._ "

**NobodySpecial, #3, invites [First Name]123, #2522, to party!**

"Rank # _3_? OF THE WHOLE SERVER? Just what have I agreed to, anyway?"


	3. Climbing the Ranks

"Thank you...for your...service," insert crooked smile here, "come back and see us."

" _[First Name]_." Park Minjun places a gentle hand on your shoulder. "Are you alright?"

A gloomy miasma permeates the interior of Seoul's one-and-only Daily Mart, casting everything from the out-of-order slushy machine to the row-to-row convenience snacks in a grim light. The few customers that dare venture into this establishment of quiet horrors dares not tread far. The closer one gets to the registers, the more stifling the air seems to become. 

"I'm completely fine," you retort rather flatly as a new, would-be consumer steps up to bat. The young man in question, a well-kept brunette of presumable mid-twenties, places his moderate haul of instant coffees before you and all the while his body quakes with unbridled fear.

"T-this w-will b-b-be all," he squeaks, tears streaming down his pale cheeks in rivulets.

Your lifeless [e/c] orbs drift sluggishly from the face of Minjun to this sheepish newcomer. When the two of you make eye contact, he freezes. Your cheeks are gaunt, and your skin seems stretched too thin across your weary face. The bags beneath your eyes are a tender purple, and your hair, somewhat disheveled, cuts carelessly across your withering gaze.

"That will be..." [muffled] "won, please," you reveal after having scanned all of the desired merchandise and placing them neatly in a small, brown paper bag. 

"...u-uh," the customer begins tentatively, and you and your coworker can practically see his brown locks begin to whiten. 

Confused by both his anxious demeanor as well as his apparent hesitation you decide to beseech him further. "Is there...a  _problem_ , sir?" 

In response he releases a terrified squeal, "A-Ah, I j-just remembered I le-left a burner on! PLEASE EXCUSE ME!"

Before you can so much as blink, the customer has disappeared in a cloud of smoke and a singular twang of the doorbell. 

"[First Name]-ssi," Minjun calls you, your name little more than an sigh on his lips. "Do you think this is a horror movie set?"

"What do you mean? And, honestly, don't you think it's great that strange man abandoned his purchase? A weirdo like that really doesn't need any more caffeine," you explain, peering up at Minjun's face owlishly. 

"What do I  _mean_?" Minjun echoes incredulously. Before he can bring himself to say anything further, he crosses the distance between the two of you and the nearest drink cooler. Shortly, he returns with what appears to be an ice-cold "Crazy Lychee Energy Drink."

"Drink this okay? My treat," he offers, pushing the beverage into your hands. "I don't know why, but you look like you died and came to work a zombie that is scaring all of our customers away."

Popping the top of the aluminum can with a decisive  _click_ , you thank Minjun sheepishly. 

"I see, is it really that obvious?" You pause, followed by a generous sip. "Maybe I've been too caught up in LOLOL lately..." And, of course, "maybe" was the understatement of the year.

Upon forming a party with the mysterious NobodySpecial, your LOLOL account had seem a dramatic upsurge of game play. As it turned out, League of Loneliness of Life's entertainment value stretched far beyond the invigoration one received from repeatedly slaying level one monsters for minimal increments of experience points. Yes, in fact, with the help of Mr. Nobody your in-game rank had jumped dramatically from somewhere in the thousands to #15 in just three, blissful weeks. 

"You're really playing LOLOL, [First Name]? Even I can't be bothered to lose sleep for that!" Minjun shouts, his voice laced with worry. "It's a once in a blue moon kind of hobby."

You quirk a brow at him, feeling a little defensive, "Well, you could have told me that before I started. But," you halted mid-speech in order to down the remainder of the 12 oz can. "If that were the case I probably wouldn't have reached #15 in the Shooting Star server so quickly..."

Minjun is now speechless as he watches you casually crush the empty can and send its hackneyed form sailing towards the nearby recycling bin. #15? How had you so quickly surpassed him?

"That's pretty good, [First Name]," Minjun admits, pridefully unwilling to reveal just how impressed he is. "Just remember to take care of yourself--like I do--or you'll be #15, unemployed [girl/boy] of the Shooting Star server," he concludes tauntingly, unable to resist  _some_  pettiness. 

"Sure thing," you agree nonchalantly as you stretch your hands towards the sky, already feeling the uplifting effects of way-too-much sugar and caffeine. Maybe you should have followed the advice of that strange, terrified man? Nevertheless, you couldn't wait to play more LOLOL tonight. 


	4. Event Dungeon

"Shit, Shit,  _Shit_!"

From  **NobodySpecial**

" _[First Name] healme_ "

From  **[First Name]123**

" _IM treraying to gle;ogtijet to u!!!_ "

" _hodl on1_!"

In the low-light of an early morning your form sits, hunched uncomfortably close to the small monitor of your outdated computer. Your wrists are a flurry of decisive motion as your left hand types furiously at the directional A S D F of your keyboard as your right hand clicks furiously against the left and right mouse button. 

"Why doesn't this game have a better chat function? Seriously, what am I even paying for?" you gripe, practically grinding your teeth into dust, as you anxiously attempt to switch between answering NobodySpecial's frantic whispers and weave between high level underlings of the latest event boss, RipFang the Abhorrant.

Much of your interactions with NobodySpecial carry on this way, the two of you undergoing the strenuous task of balancing team coordination amidst a poorly designed conversation tool and, when it came to dungeon crawling, sheer intuition at times. If you couldn't address each other swiftly enough when it came to tackling a new monster, you would often attempt to operate on sheer hope that the other would know what was up--what strategy needed to be done, and at what times heal spells or special items should be launched. 

Despite the adversity your small, two-party team faced, you personally couldn't help but feel as though the two of you were doing rather well. After all, you'd read in the LOLOL forum that several stronger and larger-bodied squads were struggling equally, if not a little more with this particular foe. RipFang was an absolutely gigantic dragon creature with a crimson-red body besmirched by numerous scars, sores, and spikes. His titular attacks involved sheer-force blows, and anyone that could successfully navigate his vicious one-hit-K.O.'s would have a shot at pulling some  _really_ cool armor skins from the RipFang Gachapon. 

From **NobodySpecial**

_"Dnt giveup [First Name]; we'v gopt this!"_

At the _impassioned_ , yet distinctly typoed pep-talk your teammate had just delivered, you felt immediately reinvigorated. Maybe the two of you could actually pull this off! You clicked on the flashing bar which beckoned, "Type Your Reply Here!"

From **[First Name]123**

" _Yer ri--_ "

And, just like that, your dungeon session had concluded with the abrupt contact of RipFang's tremendous foot with your avatar. Your hitpoints zeroes out faster than you could blink, and you remembered despairingly that this was your last allotted respawn.

"I'm sorry I failed us," you sniffed, and a single, overly dramatic tear rolled down your cheek.

**~○~**

From  **NobodySpecial**

_"I'm sorry I got us into something we weren't ready for, [First Name.]"_

From  **[First Name]123**

_"Don't worry about it! All we need is a little more grinding..."_

From  **NobodySpecial**

_"Or maybe a better way to communicate."_

From **[First Name]123**

_"Srsly. Why isn't there an IM feature already?!"_

From  **NobodySpecial**

_"Well, we could always seek out a third-party one."_

From  **[First Name]123**

_"What do you mean? Like an app???"_

From  **NobodySpecial**

_"Yah. I'm scrolling through the top-rated ones right now. "_

Downloading an app just to talk to your nebulous online friend? Well, you reasoned that, although tedious, it was safer than giving out your phone number. After all, you didn't even know this guy's name yet!

From  **[First Name]123**

_"I guess I've got the storage space. The only real burden to my computer right now is LOLOL, anyway."_

From  **NobodySpecial**

_"I'll look into finding one that is suitable for our needs and, y'know, not loaded down with malware. When I find one I'll get back to you. Until then, it looks like the awful "Whisper" will have to do...T_T"_

From  **[First Name]123**

_"Don't shoulder the burden by yourself. I'll check some out in my free time too!"_

Before NobodySpecial could drum up a response, your cell phone began to buzz. 

Across the screen, a chibi alarm clock and some emboldened block letters proclaimed, " ** _TIME TO GET READY FOR WORK_**!"

"Not another all-nighter!" you lamented, preparing to pen a note of salutations to your virtual partner-in-crime. "I didn't even know it was morning..."

 


	5. Strange

"All of these suck," you bemoaned, slinging further down into the depths of your living room sofa. "Instant Messaging clearly isn't as popular as it used to be."

Your thumb leisurely scrolled through the search results for "IM" in the app-store of your beloved cellphone. Before you, some sort of cheesy game show provided the appropriately lame background noise for a fruitless endeavor. 

"No, no,  _definitely_  not, as if I'd pay for something like this..."

After browsing the web on your computer for a few hours after work, you had been disappointed enough by the results to consider looking for a mobile-compatible messaging app instead. So far, it seemed as though all of the messaging applications available for computers were prehistoric, and, well, all the ones for smart phones seemed to be either for anonymous promiscuity or, simply much too expensive for what they were. 

Your scrolling brought you past a particularly silly candidate, which boasted messaging for those who enjoyed balloon animals, and you found yourself close to search abandonment. 

"Tch," you scoffed, and your thumb edged towards the "exit window" symbol in the corner of the tab. "I guess Mr. Nobody is going to have to bare the burden of this search solo, because I give--"

**Check out Mystic Messenger, the app everybody's talking about! Mystic Messenger is a free-to-use, fast access messenger app that allows for IM, email, and voice call communication!**

You blinked owlishly at the sudden advertisement that eclipsed the screen, and marveled immediately at its relevancy. 

"I didn't see this listed anywhere before," you murmured, faintly recalling that this app hadn't been included in a single page out of the thirty-plus you had looked through. It wasn't under the top-rated, the most-popular, or the new tabs either, was it?

With your interest mildly piqued, you found yourself clicking on the portion of the ad which would lead you to more information. A few seconds later you were able to access a download prompt accompanied with a general showcase of the apps features--the very ones mentioned in the advertisement. In the "Review" section, several anonymous consumers boasted rates of four or five stars for application, and, overall seemed to praise it rather highly.

"Mystic Messenger, huh?" you queried to yourself, and your thumb sat poised over the "download now" button. This download felt entirely unlike the one you had made for LOLOL. No rush of anticipation met you in this moment, and, to be honest, you could hardly see yourself using the messenger for anything outside of non-IRL friends whom you wanted to communicate with quickly. "I hope Nobody's okay with this one."

**~○~**

**Unknown:**  ...Hello...?

It had only been about fifteen minutes and one, absolutely delightful bowl of instant noodles later, and you had to admit that you were taken aback by the greeting. Honestly, had you even added any contacts yet? You certainly hadn't told Nobody at least.

 **[First Name]:**?

A few strings of code flashed across the chat before this stranger deigned to reply.

 **Unknown:**  Can you see this?

You blanched at how nonchalant this "unknown" seemed to be. Just what right did they have to speak to you so calmly when they hadn't even revealed who they were or how they had gotten your chat handle?

 **[First Name]:**  Who are you???

This query seemed to be all Unknown needed before they felt comfortable launching into the thick of the matter. Apparently, they were not simply a stranger to you, but to the very phone they were using as well. After finding a misplaced smartphone out in the open, Unknown had gone through the, thankfully, unlocked device in order to find any semblance of information that might lead them to the phone's original owner. Unfortunately, short of this Mystic Messenger application and your username under their contact list, Unknown had little to go on.

 **Unknown:** Can I ask a favor of you?

You bristled at the audacity of this stranger. You had only met moments ago, so what right did they have asking anything of you yet?

 **[First Name]:**  Do we really know each other well enough to be making requests???

Unknown did not hesitate a moment before replying.

 **Unknown:**  You're the only one I can turn to. Besides this application, I discovered an address. I think it might be the owner's home! Could you head there?

A chill went up your spine at this request. Hadn't Horror Movie 101 taught you better than to go to strange places suggested by strange people?

 **[First Name]:**  I don't have their phone. What good would that do?

 **Unknown** : I'm currently abroad, so I'm unable to track them down. If you meet with them maybe you can show them this chat log and let them know the situation.

 **Unknown:**  Please?

You thought this suggestion over carefully, but perhaps not carefully  _enough_  in the moment. You weighed the pros of doing a good deed, and the cons of potentially getting axed murder. What you failed to ask yourself, however, was how Unknown had found a phone here if they were currently studying abroad. How any phone could have you in their contact list for an app you had only downloaded a few moments ago? How you could trust someone whose username revealed not an inch of their identity or intentions?

 **[First Name]:**  I guess I could do that for you. If things look sketchy, I'm bailing at the earliest opportunity, though!

 **Unknown:**  Thank you! I'll send the address now, but it's a well-developed neighborhood! You don't have to worry!

 **[First Name]:** Whatever.

 **Unknown:**  When I get back to Korea I owe you one, okay? I realize it's hard to trust a stranger, so I'll even send a picture of me.

A picture surfaced in the chat of a relatively normal looking guy. Somehow, this reveal seemed to satisfy the part of you that felt suspicious. And so, you made up your mind. After casually changing into a hoodie and jeans, you gathered up a few important artifacts such as your cell phone charger and wallet before heading out the door. Once Unknown had sent you the address and you had plugged it into your navigation app, you were a little startled to discover its proximity. Why, it was only a few blocks away from the Daily Mart, wasn't it?

 **[First Name]:**  I'm on my way.

When you reached the address you discovered that the neighborhood was indeed a good one. In fact, you marveled, wasn't this the upscale portion of downtown? The address in question was modern-style home, squished between a row of others eerily like it. The front door was metallic and vaguely threatening due to its massive structure. When your hand tentatively made a grab for the door handle, you realized that your little mission had reached a snag.

 **[First Name]:**  I don't know why I didn't expect this, but there's a keypad at the entrance.

Well, that was that, wasn't it? Only the occupant would know such a thing as the password to their front door. Somehow, you felt relieved that this favor would be halted in its tracks.

 **Unknown:** Try this password.

Your phone dinged once more as, impossibly, Unknown had provided you with a solution to the hurdle at hand. But, just how could they know the password to a stranger's place? Attempting to shake off your suspicions, you reasoned that this information too must have been accessible from the cell phone which bore the street address.

Your fingers clumsily entered the password provided, and, unsurprisingly, the front door clicked open without further incident.

 **[First Name]:**  It worked.

Minutes passed.

 **[First Name]:** I'm in the house.

Silence.

 **[First Name]:** I don't think there's anybody here. It looks untouched.

Uhh...??

 **[First Name]:**  Hey! Are you there? What more am I supposed to do? 

**Unknown has left the chat.**

 


	6. Security Breach

_Bzzt! Bzzt!_

The sudden buzzing of your cell phone sends a flood of warmth through your body.

"That must be him," you mumble, reaching into the pocket of your well-worn jeans. "It must have been a connection error after all." 

_Bzzt! Bzzt!_

The audible persistence of your phone indicates that more messages have been sent to you, though you can't comprehend why your sole conversation partner would be so urgent. After all, it wasn't like he was the one trespassing in a stranger's house! And, for that matter, it wasn't like you had anything interesting to report about to this stranger about the other--a cursory perusal of the residency had yielded little clues in the way of identifying the owner of the lost cell phone. Other than a thin coating of dust atop every surface of the home, there was but one identifier to go on: a delicately-framed photograph of an attractive couple--a broad-shouldered man with a head of cerulean locks and the elegant blonde woman he had his arms around--being all lovey-dovey against the backdrop of a beach sunset.

_Bzzt! Bzzt!_

"I'm going as fast as I can!" you grumble, jabbing the Mystic Messenger icon with your index finger. You quickly find your way to the "chat logs" section of the application, but are appalled at what you find there. Instead of the anonymous conversation you'd been having with Unknown, some sort of group chat seems to be animatedly taking place in its stead. Even as you motion to open up the conversation for further investigation, your phone struggles to keep up with the appropriate level of notification alerts. "...what the hell?"

**[First Name] has joined the chat.**

**707:** Wait.

 **Yoosung:** Why?

 **707:**  Someone joined the chat room.

At once, your poor eyes are assaulted by the rapid responses of about five different users by the handles of 707, Yoosung, Jumin Han, ZEN, and Jaehee Kang. Because of the sheer speed and volume of their replies, you are able to make out very little detail--you think someone might have questioned your identity, or perhaps how you have entered their discussion?

 **[First Name]:**  Uhm, hello?

Tentatively, you insert yourself into the discussion as a participant rather than a topic, deeming that the endless panic of the other chat goers will get you nowhere in the end.

**Yoosung: IT'S TALKING! O_O**

Contrary to your expectations, attempting to explain yourself only makes things worse. The panic, spearheaded by the mysterious "Yoosung" who appears to be the  _most_  shaken up by your existence, seems all the more dramatic now. Among the hysteria, you eventually are able to pick out odds-and-ends of a calmer response. Wait, was it just your imagination or did this "707" mention something about tracing your IP address?!

 **[First Name]:**  L-Listen, I'm the one who should be interrogating all of  _you_. Just who are you, and how did I end up here?

Your inquiry is met with, as you have come to expect now, more questions--several of which appearing to be little more than aside in the ridiculous stage play that has become your life such as, "Should I introduce myself?" and the like.

Eventually, the questions take an informative turn towards introductions. Apparently, the mysterious members of this seemingly exclusive chatroom appear to be:

Zen: 24 y.o/self-proclaimed "musical actor"/ silver-haired and rather attractive (judging by the provided in-chat photo, at least) / real name Hyun Ryu

707: simply "707" / 22 y.o/ self-proclaimed hacker

Yoosung Kim: 21 y.o / college student / blond-haired cutie-pie (selfie sender #2)

Jumin Han: 27 y.o / corporate heir / cat dad / raven-haired pretty boy

Jaehee Kang: 26 / Jumin's assistant / female

At the reveal of their basic identities, you don't know whether or not to lean towards unease or relaxation. After all, if the pictures they provided were accurate...weren't these guys totally attractive, and  _totally_  around your age? What was this, a freakin' Host Club?

 **[First Name]:**  [Full Name], twenty-three, totally confused. I don't know what I've stumbled upon, but I was only trying to do a good deed.

 **Jumin:** What exactly do you mean by that? We're the only ones who should be capable of downloading this chatroom, so your presence is an alarming intrusion.

 **707:** a security breach 

 **Yoosung:** how did you get in Rika's apartment?

Rika's apartment? Thank goodness! Now that was a piece of information you could really sink your teeth into.

 **[First Name]:** oh my gosh! :D :D :D

 **[First Name]:** Thank you, uh,  _Yoosung_.

 **[First Name]:**  It's kind of a long story, but I was trying to find out who owned this apartment.

 **Jaehee:** So you admit at last to snooping where you should not be.

 **Yoosung:**  Why are you after Rika?! >.<

A miserable sigh escapes your lips, and you tentatively consider uninstalling the app and making a beeline for the normalcy of your own apartment, good deed be damned!

 **707:**  wait. let him/her explain

 **[First Name]:**  how do you know I'm a girl/guy?!

 **707:**  lolol i'm a hacker

 **707:**  you look pretty cute in your photos

Your cheeks darken as your eyes dart around the room in paranoia. If this 707 could hack into your phone, c-could he see you right now? 

 **Jumin:**  Explain yourself at once

It takes you quite awhile to get the whole of your tale out with little but smart phone's touch screen keyboard to aid you in your quest, but eventually you are able to weave together the reality of Unknown, the Mystic Messenger advertisement, and your utter astonishment at the weirdness of it all. A few of the boys ridicule you for your choice to engage with a complete and utter stranger, but 707, for the most part, seems to be taking the matter quite seriously. He probes you for such information as the chat log, Unknown's identity, and anything else he can think of...but you are only able to provide him with the basics of the ambiguous slop Unknown has fed you. Was anything Unknown had said real? Was that really a picture of him? Was that really a lost phone in the first place? Perhaps the boys were right to label you "naive."

Eventually, the lot of them conclude that the only logical next step is to contact their boss, the mysterious "V." You can't help but to wonder if you are destined to only meet weird, ambiguously named people online for the rest of forever...V, 707, Unknown, NobodySpecial...

**V has joined the chat.**

**V:** I'm logged in.

The chatroom grinds to a halt for a minute at the arrival of this new character, and a cursory glance of his user icon sends a bolt of recognition through you.

 **[First Name]:**  It's you!

 **Yoosung:**  [First Name], you know V?

 **[First Name]:** I-I was trying find the owner of the phone, so I'll admit that I looked around a bit. There's a picture of you close by, V.

Your eyes dart back to the photo of the handsome man, V, and his mysterious ladylove. 

 **V:**  I imagine there would be.

Somehow, V's response feels awkward. Luckily, the mood of the conversation is saved by the arrival of welcoming responses penned by the other members. You can easily see how revered this boss must be among his group. From there, the chat divulges into perplexed chatter about the situation at hand such as, "How did Unknown know the door key?" and, from this, you are able to ascertain that V was romantically involved with the owner of the apartment. The woman in the photo is presumably Rika, V's former lover and Yoosung's cousin.

 **[First Name]:**  I don't mind to aid you with Unknown concerns, but shouldn't I get going before this Rika comes home and finds that her apartment has been infiltrated??

The chatroom falls silent for several minutes before anyone can manage to respond.

 **Yoosung:**  Rika passed away about a year ago, so you don't have to worry about that.

You cringe at Yoosung's reply, feeling undoubtedly like the biggest jerk in all of Seoul, and your head reeled with the influx of information. You were sitting in a dead girl's apartment, conversing with those closest to her, and, for all the world you couldn't come up with a good reason why.

 **[First Name]:**  I'm sorry, to all of you, for your loss.

"I  _really_  shouldn't be here..." you whispered, and the space around you, Rika's space, felt all the more uninviting.

 

 


	7. The Life of the Party

Rika's memory felt larger than life. She was the sweet fiancee of V, the loving cousin of Yoosung, the beloved friend of Jumin, Zen, Jaehee, and 707. She was the center of RFA--which you had discovered to be the identity of the group, an association dedicated to throwing philanthropic parties for the sake of good causes worldwide, and she, presumably, was the last living person to have entered the home you now found yourself cooped up in. 

Every square inch of the single-resident home felt like a relic of her charitable life--desktops and countertops were covered with short-hand scrawlings of parties never to come, in the kitchen clean dinnerware still sat, neatly stacked in the dish rack, potted remains of houseplants that had once been well-loved peppered the sunnier portions of the home, and a pair of delicate, pink house slippers sat at attention by the door. The whole dwelling felt like a museum dedicated to her life, and, quite frankly, you weren't ready to become one of the exhibits.

 _However_ , V and 707 had insisted otherwise. According to them, the Unknown user who had brought you to the residence was someone of potentially dangerous intentions. They were someone equally as capable of hacking into personal devices as 707, and as knowledgeable about Rika and the RFA as V. If they meant any harm towards you, the general conclusion arose among the group that you would be safest--that the  _RFA_ would be safest if you stayed here for awhile.

"Is this real life?" you ponder aloud, not at all bothered by the fact that there is no one around to merit a response. "Seriously," you scoff, saucily placing a hand on your hip. "Download an app and put your life in danger..."

_Bzzt!_

Your phone releases a buzz of notification from the kitchen counter where you cleared enough space between discarded memos and commonplace junk--photography magazines, romance novels, half-filled notebooks, etc.--to maintain easy access to the built-in-outlet. 

 **Unknown:** Don't worry. Things will be really fun from here on out.

The latest text message delivered to your inbox was an off-putting one. This Unknown character had virtually halted all communication with you the moment you had crossed the entrance into Rika's home. It felt eerily like you had played perfectly into the hands of a dangerous scheme, and, somehow, this text gave you the sort of vibes the silver-screen heroine of a horror film might have felt to realize a threatening call was coming from  _inside_  the house. 

You gave a quick shudder at the thought of yourself in a similar situation. 707 had hypothesized that Unknown might be a skilled hacker himself, hadn't he? Rather than taunting text messages, couldn't he be using his command of technology for more intrusive goals? W-What if he'd hacked into your camera feature, your cached passwords, your internet history?

 **[First Name]:**  You're not dangerous, are you?

Perhaps it was to be expected that your question would fall on deaf ears, that it would be left "on the read" like he couldn't be bothered with what you had to say--simply instilling every fiber of your being with dread must have been enough.

"I-I guess I should tell them about this message..." you reasoned, still feeling a little shaken up by the weight of this entire ordeal. Quickly, you exited out of the foreboding text history and dove into the "New Chat" function of Mystic Messenger. You supposed that V or 707 would be best to alert, but only Jumin Han appeared to be still online.

 **[First Name]:** Uh, hey there. I know we haven't really gotten off on the best foot, but I have something to report to the RFA. 

 **Jumin:**  Has your location been compromised? Shall I have Assistant Kang notify the authorities?

 **[First Name]:** N-no, I don't think that's necessary.It's just that "Unknown" texted me. He didn't say anything threatening or informative, it's just a little creepy...T_Tu

 **Jumin:** WHAT?

 **Jumin:**  Thank you for coming to me. I'll send a screenshot of this conversation to both V and 707. Can you repeat what he said to you?

 **[First Name]:** uhh, sure

 **[First Name]: "** Don't worry. Things will be really fun from here on out."

 **Jumin** :...thank you.

You pause for a moment, rather unsure of how to continue the conversation from there. If you're thinking logically and with a mindset less blurred by the looming threat of Unknown, there are still plenty of things that you need to sort through with the RFA.

 **[First Name]:** This isn't as urgent, but could I have a little bit more of your time? There are some things I'd like to discuss.

 **Jumin:** If there's no further emergency, I have more pressing matters to attend to with my company. However, additional requests can be directed at my assistant. She'll be available shortly.

**Jumin has left the chat.**

You twitch a little at the calloused response of this Jumin Han. If he was so busy with work, then why was he online in the _first_  place? 

**Incoming call from Jaehee Kang!**

Feeling a bit startled, you nearly drop your phone as it comes to life in an assortment of flashing icons, and dramatic vibrations. A picture of the aforementioned Ms. Kang eclipses the center of your screen, and you determine that she does, indeed, look very assistant-like. Swiping the green, "accept call" yields the immediate, and utterly formal greeting of Jaehee.

"This is Jaehee Kang. Mr. Han has requested that I humor your additional requests," Jaehee introduces, and you are not at all surprised by the perfect, business-like tone of her address.

"Oh," you begin a bit uneasily. Somehow the things you wanted to discuss with the RFA felt a little more imposing when delivered so directly. "I-I understand that it's necessary to stay here for everyone's safety, but don't you think this is inconvenient on my life? I have a job and an apartment of my own. And, whilst this place is  _huge,_ it currently isn't equipped to house a living person. All the perishables are expired, and--and anything else I'm not allowed to touch! What am I supposed to do to occupy my time?!"

Jaehee doesn't skip a beat in her well-formed reply, "Although she wasn't in it for the money, Rika was compensated generously for her philanthropic efforts. The company is easily able to funnel RFA costs through the scope of "charitable" funds. If you require further necessities than what the typical "party planner" stipend affords, they can be shipped to your address."

"Wow," you breathe, utterly impressed by the thoroughness of this retort. "But what if I can't do what Rika did? I'm a store clerk; I don't have any experience schmoozing with moneybags..."

"Believe me when I say that no one is expecting you to produce Rika-quality results, but if you are able to raise money half as well as she was I think it will rekindle the hope in all our hearts."

You supposed that Jaehee's response was simply a result of her authentic self, but still you could not escape the sting of the expectations she had so suddenly placed on you. She may have meant to suggest that you were a good thing for the group--a chance at hope. Yet, the delivery felt like another audible reminder of how much better this Rika was at everything than you.

"This situation isn't ideal, but I will give this 110%," you decree, trying your best to sound confident. "If you have answers for everything but my real job, I guess I'll figure out something else on my own."

"A cold-turkey resignation might be best in this case, [First Name]. After all, it's not every day one jumps the career track from blue-collar cashier to representative of a multi-million won fundraising effort.

"M- _Multi_  million?" you choke out, but your response is only awarded the clipped salutations of an assistant arguably as busy as her boss. 

**Call Ended.**

The vocational change thrust upon you was probably a harder pill to swallow then the potential danger Unknown might have placed you in. It was one thing to be all "Witness Protection Program" by hiding out in an apartment that few people knew how to access, but it was another thing entirely to take up the mantle of a dead girl's incredibly important, highly lucrative job.

When Rika had been behind the coordination of the charitable soirees thrown by the RFA, every member had been operating at their best self. Everyone was happy, excellent, and reeling in a bananas amount of won for the sake of worthwhile charities. Rika knew how to expertly network with big-wigs with too much money on their hands, and she knew just which wines to pair with which h'ordervs, whether or not taupe tablecloths were better accentuated by roses or carnation center-pieces. Goodness, your head swam even thinking about all of the responsibilities you would need to undertake in order to pull this off.

_Bzzt!_

Your phone came to life again in your fingertips, and you were surprised to discover that this notification, for once, had not originated from the Mystic Messenger application but from your smart phone's messaging system itself.

 **Coworker Park:** Missed you at work today, [First Name]. The manager is asking if you're well.

Oh,  _shit_. Speaking of the job that you were unsure how to address, in all of the shenanigans of the day you had forgotten about the shift you were supposed to take on from 14:30. Glancing at the clock in the corner of your screen, you bristled at the display of 19:47. Just what would you tell Minjun? What would you tell your boss? Should you quit so abruptly and let them all down, or was there something else you could do to stall time? Something to keep your job on the line in case there were any hopes of escaping the sticky situation that had befallen you?

 **[First Name]:**  I won't be coming back to work, Park.

 **Coworker Park:**  WHAT DO YOU MEAN, [FIRST NAME]-SSI? T_T Did I do something wrong?

 **[First Name]:**  No, I

Your fingers froze above the touch screen keyboard of your mobile device. The workers of Daily Mart had become practically family to you after the years you had spent with them. And, for all of his aggravation and all of his flaws, Minjun had probably become your closest IRL friend. Could you really be so unfeeling with him? Could you really leave him hanging in such a way?

 **[First Name]:**  I couldn't tell you in person, but you were right about LOLOL.

 **Coworker Park:** What do you mean, [First Name]? 

 **[First Name]:** Mom insisted that I check into "Gamer's Anonymous."

 **Coworker Park:**  So that's how it is? Why didn't you tell me sooner, [First Name]? We've all been worried about how much sleep you've been losing at play! The manager will be so relieved!

You couldn't shake the guilt that settled in the pit of your stomach at this white lie. Certainly, it was no exaggeration that your parents had been concerned with your recent decline into LOLOL addiction, but it wasn't as if they had any say in whether or not you kicked the habit! You were a grown adult that handled their life completely independent of parental handouts at this point, after all!

 **Coworker Park:**  I'm sure the manager will understand your position well, and hold a job for you here until you're well again!

Another pang of guilt shot through you at this reply. Since when was Minjun so responsible--so understanding?

 **[First Name]:**  Thank you for everything, Minjun. 

And so your obstacle-free life as the RFA party planner at once began. 

 **From:**  @ [First Name]

 **To:** @ Jaehee Kang

**Subject: The Necessities**

**Body:** On the topic of living essentials, my computer is still at my own apartment and I'm not supposed to mess with Rika's laptop. Do you think the company could send me something to work with? Something with adequate  _processing_  power for the volume of preparations I need to get under way, you know! Best regards, [Full Name]

Or, at least it would after a little more dungeon crawling.

 


	8. Folie a deux

From **[First Name]123** : 

_"Where are you, Nobody? I've got a lot to tell you!"_

With a swift-click to the "Send" button, your Whisper became a permanent fixture of NobodySpecial's inbox. If only it had taken all of your anger and frustration with it...

A couple of days after you had made the request of Assistant Kang for a personal computer of your own, one had mysteriously arrived at your doorstep with an attached, messily-written note that appeared to be signed, "From V."

"Dear [First Name], I hope the shipping information of this package doesn't alarm you. 707 and I are the only ones entrusted with the knowledge of your whereabouts. The apartment you're currently residing in, although Rika's, is technically under my name. In order to eschew suspicion, I simply ordered the computer under my name and had it ship to this address, a commonly-used listing on my Amazon account. Anything further requested will arrive in such a way, but will almost always be sent for  _you._ "

When you thought of that letter, you could not help but to think sadly of V's predicament. How closely entangled was his life with Rika's if he owned the very apartment she was living in, registered his online-shopping addresses here? You'd overheard from the chat that they were due to be married, but somehow that knowledge, and the weight it carried, really only cemented within your mind fully now.

**GAME PAUSED.**

As soon as the computer had arrived, you made short work of the installation process. Since you were not allowed to alter the condition of Rika's laptop, you instead opted for clearing away some of the spent balls of paper and piles of pens on the coffee table in order to have a sturdy setting for your new laptop. Although the RFA was important to you, it was inevitable the first thing you would do with the laptop would be to install LOLOL onto the device. Eventually, when the installation was finished and you'd logged back into your [First Name]123 account, you'd sought out your only gaming companion. Frustratingly enough, the game indicated that NobodySpecial had not not been on for a few days now and, additionally, had not sent you any further Whispers. Deciding that you had no choice but to be responsible, you had left the game running idly for hours. Maybe Nobody was busy today with IRL concerns? Maybe he'd found a better messenger application than you? Whatever the case, whilst your avatar remained motionless amidst a sea of pixelated trees in the game window, you went about responding to a few emails on Mystic Messenger from Jumin and Jaehee about your newfound vocation. 

When out of sheer boredom your thoughts began to wander back to Rika, V, and the laptop that the latter had procured for you, you realized that you had yet to thank the RFA head-honcho. Exiting out of the Email section of the application, you switched gears towards the IM section. Maybe V would be online and you could properly express your gratitude.

 **Yoosung:** hi! xD

Before you could properly determine who was and was not online, you found yourself initiated into a solitary chat with one of the RFA members, Yoosung Kim the young college student.

 **[First Name]:** Hello, Yoosung. :)

It wasn't what you had intended, but this was definitely one way to kill boredom.

 **Yoosung:**  I'm so excited to have a new member

 **Yoosung:**  I couldn't resist messaging you first~ >//<

 **[First Name]:** you don't have to explain yourself. I could tell from the group chat how curious everyone must be about me.

 **Yoosung:** we NEVER get new members!

 **Yoosung:**  so I wanted to see if you were settling in okay. C: If you need anything at all feel free to ask me, okay?

 **Yoosung:**  I'm probably the most normal guy here, anyway ^^;

Behind the bright screen of your smart phone, you quirk a brow in perplexity. 

 **[First Name]:** what do you mean by that?

 **Yoosung:**  everyone else is rich or famous

 **Yoosung:**  me? I'm just a college student

**Jaehee has joined the chat.**

**Jaehee:**  And not even a top-ranking one at that.

 **[First Name]:**  hello, Jaehee.

 **Jaehee** : Although, Yoosung, you could change that if you stopped playing so many silly games.

 **Jaehee:**  -_-

 **Jaehee:**  Hello.

 **Yoosung:** I could NEVER give up LOLOL!!!! >.<

 **Yoosung:**  I've devoted too much of my time to quit now!!!

If you'd of been drinking anything at the moment, now would have been the debut of a marvelous spit-take. D-Did he just say LOLOL?

 **[First Name]:**  You

 **[First Name]:**  Play

 **[First Name]:**  The

 **[First Name]:**  League

 **[First Name]:**  ???

After your rapid-fire responses, there was a moment of stagnation in the chat, and then--

 **Jaehee:**  Good lord.

**Jaehee has left the chat.**

**Yoosung:**  [FIRST NAME]

 **Yoosung:**  y-you know it? >///<

 **Yousung:**  [First Name] i think i'm in love~


	9. Flustered

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for your lovely commentary and support, everyone! I hope you continue to enjoy every chapter as much as the last. ^^

From **[First Name]123** :

_"You haven't been on in almost a week, so I hope you'll understand if I group up with others in your absence. I met a new player recently, and he's on our server! Catch you later, NS."_

Your stomach was a-flutter with butterflies as you finished up yet another Whisper to waste away, un-replied and unacknowledged in the inbox of NobodySpecial. Perhaps this nervous feeling was due, in part, to the guilt that came with forming a new LOLOL team. After all, from the beginning of your time on League you had pretty much been attached at the hip with NobodySpecial as he showed you the very inner workings of the system, passed down the ancient knowledge of MMORPG slang, and, in general, provided you with a welcomed power-boost to the top. Playing with #3 of the Shooting Star server meant that you were playing with someone that must have devoted many a late night to monster farming and level grinding to reach such a lofty title. Even yourself at the #15 spot needed to devote pretty much every spare moment to defend the position, constantly accumulating EXP in order to push forward. With NS abandoning his post for such a long while, the next time he logged in he would be sure to mourn the fall of his avatar through the ranks from #3 to #11 in no time flat. If he couldn't be bothered to care about such a fate, than surely he couldn't bring himself to feel cross about you joining a new team, could he?

**Superman Yoosung would like to form a party.**

Your breath hitches in your throat at the latest in-game notification. Ah yes, you'd almost forgotten about the secondary cause to your anxious woes. Somehow, you had stumbled across a rare individual in the Mystic Messenger application who seemed to enjoy LOLOL nearly as much as you. After stumbling across this mutual interest, Yoosung Kim had launched into an energetic spiel about the game--armor skins, the newest enemies, and event criteria. The whole of which, of course, went virtually unnoticed by you.

With cheeks dusted a soft pink, you vividly recalled Yoosung's declaration of the day before.

_**Yoosung:**  [First Name] I think I'm in love~_

_I think I'm in love~_

_in love~_

_love~_

He was only joking, of course. Or, you supposed, a little too excited to have discovered a kindred spirit when it came to his most beloved hobby. Still, you couldn't quell the telltale "doki-dokis" of your heart at that moment, just as you couldn't when recalling it again now. Had such a cute boy ever been so forward with you before--even if it was all in good fun?

_Bzzt!_

**Yoosung:**  [First Name]

 **Yoosung:**  [First Name], hi

 **Yoosung** : Wantto group up?

 **Yoosung:** 10% EXP boost all day long!

The avalanche of IMs from Yoosung on your messenger app brought you out of your emotional stupor at once. Oh, right! Yoosung was why were you on in the first place. After his excitement had dulled down a bit, hadn't he invited you, his new comrade-in-arms, to quest together?

Think quickly, [First Name]. How to recover from this awkward situation? Your eyes scan the landscape before you, a pixelated town, European-themed with cobblestone pathways and thatch-roofed homes. Towards the center of the town you locate an avatar with Yoosung's username, Superman Yoosung, resting idly by the fountain of town square. He appears to be of an attack-focused class and outfitted in flamboyant battle armor of silver and red. You find yourself particularly enamored by the pulsating red heart embedded in the center of his chest piece.

 **[First Name]:**  s-sorry, Yoosung~ >///<

 **[First Name]:**  I was caught up in your armor skin...

 **[First Name]:**  it's uncommon for someone to have beaten the event dungeon  _and_  pulled the rare armor drop!

 **Yoosung:**  For  _#2_  of Shooting Star, Superman Yoosung, this is nothing~⭐

Rank #2? How fortunate were you to have made the acquaintance of both #2 and #3 in such a short LOLOL career? What's next, #1 turns out to be your next-door-neighbor?

 **[First Name]** : YOOSUNG, YOU'RE SO COOL! ^^

Despite the nervousness that still fills you, you cannot resist the opportunity to geek out about your favorite game. After all, you hoped to reach such successful heights yourself one day!

 **Yoosung:** you're too kind, [First Name] >:D

 **Yoosung:**  but comeon, 10% EXP-alooza awaits.

**~○~**

**Incoming call from 707!**

" _Ughhhh_ ," you groan, shielding your eyes from the streaks of sunlight that dare filter through Rika's bedroom curtains. To be sure, if you were allowed to make design altercations, these antagonistic sunbeams would meet their match at the hands of blackout curtains. Slightly perturbed, you ponder over what the time of day could be as your hand crawls sluggishly towards your nearby phone.

"...sup?" you slur in salutations, turning on your side to face the blank cream walls of the room rather than the sparkling bay windows before you. 

A stifled laugh meets you on the other end of the line, and your irritation level rises all the more.

"You're more interesting than I expected, [First Name]," a masculine voice chortles at your expense, and you presume that these words must belong to the infamously obscure 707.

"Haven't you ever heard of a full eight hours, seven-zero-seven?" you retort, a tad miffed, as you articulate each digit of his "name" with a taunting tone. 

"You would have gotten a full eight hours if you hadn't stayed up all night with little Yoosung," 707 remarks cheekily, and you can practically feel the innuendo dripping from his voice.

"Okay, Mr. Hacker, I know your omnipotent command of the app means that you  _know_ we played LOLOL together and not anything your perverse mind might instead imagine." 

Rubbing the last traces of sleep from your tired eyes, the mild annoyance that courses through your veins seems to reinvigorate your far-from-rested self. You rise to your feet, cell phone pressed loosely to one ear, and slip into the lone pair of house slippers Rika has left behind.

"My, my, I'll have to remember not to tease the game-addict any earlier than afternoon," 707 notes with a click of his tongue, "Anyway, I'm glad at least one member has made you feel welcome," he pauses, yet before your tired brain can think to say anything clever in return, "But V encouraged me to check on your progress as party-planner from time to time."

"Oh," you blanch, realizing that the purpose of this call was a sort of informal status report, rather than a pestering session. "I get this all the time, but gaming in no way prevents me from doing my job. You could ask my coworkers at Daily Mart about my work ethic and you wouldn't be disappointed!" You assure 707 in attempts to quickly dismiss any thoughts of unreliability. 

"...we already have, [First Name]. Although I personally believe your story, it's important that you, as a new RFA member, are thoroughly investigated by V and I," 707 admits somewhat sheepishly on the other side of the call. 

You mosey about the kitchen, attempting to accumulate a a suitable breakfast from a combination of Rika's forgotten spice-rack and the few groceries you'd ordered off the web. Somehow, you can't quite bring yourself to be surprised by 707's suspicion. After all, if you were them it was likely that you would have laughed in the face of anyone who dared peddle such an outright outlandish story.

"I...I feel a little offended, I admit, but I understand why you felt the need," you state after a moment or two of intense thought. "Although it was a welcomed relief to play with Yoosung and forget about all of this craziness last night, I realize that at the heart of things he too is suspiciouss. So, I'll try my very best today to set things into motion with the list of possible party guests Jumin's company provided."

"Wow," 707 whistled, noticeably impressed by the professional nature of your retort. "Who knew all I had to do was piss you off a little bit, and you'd be diving head-first into your responsibilities. Work hard, [First Name], because we're all counting on you~"

When the sudden droll of the dial tone meets your ears, you cannot help but to sigh, "Okay, [First Name], just what have we gotten ourselves into?"


	10. Stir Crazy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank y'all for enjoying this so much~! I'll be honest that I really only wrote this for me--I mean, there's hardly any Yoosung love out there, right? That's why, whilst casually playing through the Yoosung route on MM, I've been pooping out so many chapters at once. Bear with me for unstructured, but way-too-frequent updates and, as always, leave a comment if you'd like! Have a good day.

**+3 New Emails!**

Rich Oil Prince?  _Check_. Doctors With Conscious Association? Check. CEO of Golf Clothing Company?  _Check_.

**Step 1: Read and respond to potential party-goers in a way that best suits their needs.**

With a generous slurp of freshly-brewed dark roast, your fingers make quick work of a few business-like replies, expertly navigating the fine-line between placating ambiguity and personalized responses. As  _if_  you had any idea about the inner workings of putting styles or which ridiculously expensive vehicle would make a flashier entrance, garner more clout? Nevertheless, if there was one thing you were thankful for in your quest to appease complete and total strangers, it was the cosmic blessing of Wikipedia. 

 _Seriously_ , the RFA must have been so impressed with Rika--but hadn't she only the good-fortune of searching a celebrity's bio or filtering for "[insert random hobby here] 101" to achieve such successes in the past? 

**Step 2: Prepare a meticulous account of RSVP progress and send roughly identical copies to V, Jumin Han, Jaehee Kang, and 707 respectively.**

You had learned rather quickly that whilst V was technically the only member who required an update, three other members deemed their debriefing of equal--if not greater--importance.

Although 707's behavior in regards to your work seemed to be, to all of the world, professional and curious for the sake of positive progression, you had learned early on by the way an occasional "lololol" would slip through the folds of his otherwise orderly responses that he probably didn't care for the details all too much. Rather, he was probably only pestering you for the minutes in order to acquire some sort of rise out of you, at best.

As for Jumin Han and his dutiful assistant? Well, their interest you could completely understand. After all, a lot of the connections the RFA had accumulated had been snagged from a database of wealthy businessmen that Chairman Han had worked with in the past. The only frustrating and somewhat unnecessary factor about the two of them was, predictably, that high-and-mighty Jumin would request that important documents be first filtered through the inbox of Assistant Kang. 

Although Jaehee quite liked to nitpick at your grammar or your levels of advancement towards your goal--bold responses executed too quickly, or RSVPs that should have already been secured--you had learned that much of what your early reports entailed was suitable enough for Jumin. So, rather than typing up four mildly different renditions of your workday, you had learned that slapping on four different report recipients to one write-up was the way to go.

**Step 3: Execute the rest of your day with greater nonchalance, id est, "Live your life, dude, but don't forget to double-check those floral arrangements."**

From here, you found your daily routine often transitioning towards not the rigors of in-office workloads, but of something more akin to what you imagined Jaehee or Jumin might get done at home. Like a workaholic who could never quite punch-out, you would find yourself steering between ordering groceries online one moment and bidding for the perfect catering company's only available slot amid a sea of bookings the next moment. With a five star Yelp! review, how  _could_  you let them escape your grasp?

**Step 4: Realize, sometime around supper, that regardless of what you did to pass the time, you were, in fact, forever housebound. Proceed to break down.**

Wait, what? Was that really such a regular epitome that it should be embedded into your daily regime?

 **Jaehee:**  Core work hours could have been better managed.

Yup, "emotional exhaustion" must have been one of the job position perks that you had overlooked in your hurry to be driven stir-crazy in an apartment that wasn't even in your name.

 **[First Name]:** not now, Kang

**[First Name] has left the chat.**

**~○~**

**707 has entered the chat.**

**ZEN has entered the chat.**

**707:**  Don't be some blue, [First Name]~

 **707:** That robotic assistant says you're stressed.

 **707:**  lolol i'm surprised she can compute

 **ZEN:**  what's wrong, [First Name]? If you're feeling depressed, I can sing to you.

 **ZEN:**  sometimes being blessed with such raw talent comes in handy

 **707:**  pfttt ^^;

 **[First Name]:**  if you really wanted to help, you'd bust me outta here

 **707:** no can do, [First Name]

 **707** : if anyone here could bypass the 17 bodyguards stationed around the apartment

 **707:** it certainly wouldn't be zen

 **ZEN:**  hey!! >.<

 **[First Name]:**  of course it doesn't have to be Zen.

 **[First Name]:**  Don't you have to break the law to warrant house arrest?

 **[First Name]:**  my record is SPOTLESS

**Yoosung has joined the chat.**

**Yoosung:** wow~

 **Yoosung:** [First Name] is an A+ citizen! :D

 **[First Name]:**  hi, yoosung

From behind the sanctity of your laptop screen, you cannot quell the small smile that forms. As much as the situation at hand could weigh on you, there was something mildly contagious about the boy's upbeat disposition. Maybe you'd approach him later for some steam-blowing dungeon crawling?

 **707:**  yoosung can't come either.

 **[First Name]:** BUT

 **707:**  V agreed that this was for your own safety.

 **ZEN:** I know it's difficult, [First Name], but if you're lonely why don't you help me practice my lines?

 **ZEN:**  Voice calls--

 **ZEN:** The only good thing 707 has ever installed on this app.

 **707:** one sec

**707 has left the chat.**

For all of his faults, you find Zen to have been quite useful in this moment. It wasn't as if you were unaware of the call capabilities of Mystic Messenger, but...there were other types of calls, weren't they? Calls that didn't require the use of Mystic Messenger to be completed, and which,  _technically_ , didn't break any of V's rules.

 **[First Name]:**  yoosung, what's your #?

 **ZEN:**  how could I be so blatantly overlooked?

 **ZEN:**  aren't I the most handsome one here?

 **ZEN:**  T__T

**ZEN has left the chat.**

**Yoosung:**  e-ehh? >///<


	11. And So...

And then, there were two.

 **Yoosung:** [First Name]...

 **Yoosung:**  Is this how it feels to be asked out?

 **Yoosung:**  But isn't it a bit too soon for this?

 **Yoosung:** i'm nervous >///>

Unsure of how to respond to him properly, you place your palms flatly against your hot cheeks, willing the pink to fade. Yoosung must have thought you were a total creep! In what world did asking for someone's number automatically equate to hitting on them? You'd been so excited about the sudden discovery of a loophole in the RFA's rules that you simply could not resist the urge to act them out with someone and, well, Yoosung had become the prime candidate.

 **[First Name]:** i-it's not like that!

 **[First Name]:**  it's not like you're not cool, yoosung~

 **[First Name]:** but it's miserable here in Rika's apartment alone

 **[First Name]:**  i've already forgotten what Seoul looks like beyond the skyline

 **[First Name]:** you can't come here, and I can't come t you.

 **[First Name]:**  all MM is good for, as Zen mentioned, is IMs, texts, and phone calls

 **[First Name]:** but there's no such rule that states that I can't use my own phone's capabilities to get to know you guys. 

 **[First Name]:**  it might be a little awkward, but my phone can perform video chats

 **[First Name]:**  won't you be a pal and show me the world from time to time?

 **Yoosung:**  I think I understand now, [First Name]

 **Yoosung:**   you don't have to worry!

 **Yoosung:**  that apartment isn't the only thing lonely without Rika

 **Yoosung:** i'll text you my number

 **Yoosung:**  but be more gentle with my heart, [First Name]

 **Yoosung:**  i thought something intense was going on T_T

**1 New Text from Yoosung!**

**[First Name]:**  I'm sorry about that!

 **[First Name]:**  if I was making a move on you, Yoosung, I'd never be that smooth lol

Your heart must have been beating a million miles per minute as you penned each response, and, at the thick of it, you were only able to respond with a level head by channeling 707 and his noncommittal IM personality.

If you were honest with Yoosung, you'd probably of mentioned how you had no earthly idea how to flirt because you hadn't done much of it before. Up until Mystic Messenger and all that its download had entailed, your life had been blissfully ordinary. Go to work, get teased by Park, go home, play LOLOL, sleep (sometimes, at least), and repeat. Now, however, you found your world flipped completely upside down. Every act of socialization was carried out with one of RFA's startlingly attractive members, male or female, and every vocational action meant the making or breaking of a charity that affected a million more lives than just you. Your life was foreign to you now--the home you lived in, the job you worked, the people you knew. 

If you'd had to guess why you'd propositioned Yoosung for a phone number rather than Zen, it was undeniable that, despite the short amount of words you had exchanged with them, the two of them felt completely different. Zen was self-obsessed, career-minded, and flippant in every other aspect. Yoosung was mild-mannered, infallibly chipper, and led an "average Joe" lifestyle that most closely resembled your own. With Yoosung, there was no corporation on the line, no throng of devoted fans, just a friendly college kid and his love of games. It was that realness, that relatable-quality that he possessed, that made him the easiest to talk to in your mind hands down.

 **[First Name]:** I know it's burdensome to let me in on your day, so next time we play I'll buy you a loot-pack, okay? 

 **Yoosung:** are you sure you don't know the way to a man's heart? ❤

**Yoosung has left the chat.**

**[First Name] has left the chat.**

**ZEN has joined the chat.**

**ZEN:** i thought i'd call [First Name]

 **ZEN:**  but suddenly my voice feature won't work!

 **ZEN:**  hello? anybody? T_T

 **ZEN:**  IS THE CHAT BROKEN TOO?

**707 has joined the chat.**

**707:**  lolol

 **707:**  and so, the selfless hacker's amazing app was never taken for granted again~

**~○~**

"H-Hello...?"

Your gaze feels permanently affixed to the phone clutched tightly within your palms, and a disappointing feeling falls over you at the confirmation of the "camera off" icon eclipsing the screen.

"[First Name]? Can you see me?" From the other end of the call, a gentle voice greets you. You realize at once that this is the first of Yoosung's voice you've ever heard.

"Yoosung! I'm relieved. The video's missing, but at least I can hear your voice!" You bring the phone closer to your face, relishing in the small half-victory afforded to you.

"Missing?" Yoosung murmurs, and, after a few moments, the contents of your screen transition from virtually nothing to the transmission of a lavender iris, reflecting sheer perplexity back at you.

"I can see you now, I-I think," you call, squinting at the scene before you. Yoosung must have the camera feature zoomed in, or, perhaps, the cell phone held way too close to his face. "You fixed it."

Fluidly, the camera's scope widens to reveal the meekish form of Yoosung Kim for the first time. His hair is an unruly blonde, kept in check by the addition of a few wayward bobby pins amidst the fringe, and his eyes are a charming shade of purple. As he stares back at you, visibly in awe, Yoosung keeps one hand hidden within the pocket of a pale blue hoodie, the large LOLOL embroidered across the chest letting you know at once that it's a piece of League merch.

"Thank goodness! My time at the Technology Club has served me well," Yoosung trills, and you feel fluttery at the debut of a sheepish grin on his face. "I can see you too, [First Name]."

"Oh," you breathe, and a strange feeling overtakes you. You hadn't thought to prepare for the chat, but-- _did you look alright? Y_ ou shift the burden of holding the phone to just one hand as you utilize your other for fussing with the ends of your [h/c] locks. "Nice to see you."

"From what I can see, Rika's apartment looks the same as it did in pictures," Yoosung acknowledges, taking the tone of the conversation into his own hands. "I guess V really wants it to go untouched."

The hint of bitterness about Yoosung's tone saddens you a bit. At times like this, it was hard to forget that whilst RFA had lost a member, Yoosung had lost a beloved cousin.

"Yes, uh," you pause, unsure of how to continue. "I can tell that Rika worked really hard; you wouldn't believe the volume of files and memos lying around."

"I can believe it. I've never been to Rika's place, but I know how amazing she was," Yoosung remarks, and his gaze shifts to somewhere just past you. "In a way, you already remind me of her."

You blink owlishly at this reveal--was that to be taken as a compliment, or a cause for concern? As far as you could tell from the pictures you'd seen, you didn't really resemble Rika in any visible way. And, as far as personalities went, you were willing to bet that your work ethic was the only common thread the two of you could possibly share.

"Thanks, Yoosung," you respond graciously, regardless of how you might have felt inwardly about the exchange. "From you that must mean a lot."

"You're--eh?!" 

The blonde's eyes widen with alarm, and a few shuffling sounds exude before he continues. "I think I might have burned my meal a little..."

"You're cooking, Yoosung?" you query, feeling a little guilty as you realize the inconvenience of your call time. It was a little past dinner now, wasn't it?

"Yes! I'm an expert at chicken fried rice, you know!" Yoosung declares as he presses a thumb to his chest in triumph. Not longer after this response, the view of the camera shifts to a scene of a sizzling frying pan, its contents a slightly-scorched collection of chicken, white rice, and variously minced vegetables. Without warning, your stomach growls monstrously. 

"Excuse me, " you squeak in embarrassment, placing a hand to your abdomen. "I kind of forgot to eat."

"[First Name]," Yoosung exclaims as he points a pair of long, metallic chopsticks your way. "You need to take better care of your body."

"Says the guy who is only cooking just now," you tease, seeking to shift attention from your culinary negligence. "I think I've got some instant noodles in the cupboard, anyway."

"One day, [First Name], I'll cook some traditional Korean meals for you. I'm not the best, but I never skip a meal!" Yoosung promises as he sets the chopsticks aside. With an unburdened hand, he shakes the pan by its handle and you marvel at the way the steaming food expertly flips.

"I'd really like that, if I ever get to see anybody in person again," you agree, your statement commenced by a faint giggle. Wait,  _giggle_? Just how old were you, anyway? "Ah, I'd better let you go for now. That looks like it's ready to eat, and it's probably best still warm."

Yoosung blinks owlishly, and the corners of his mouth turn downwards. Secretly, you'd like to interpret disappointment on his part for the parting of ways. Realistically, you reason that he must be confused by your whole "let's video chat, but not for long so it'll be a total inconvenience to your schedule lolol" routine.

"You don't have to go, [First Name]," Yoosung whines, and it feels as though his eyes are boring straight into your own. "It's been so long since I've been able to talk with such ease."

"I--well," you pause, eager to regain the composure he had so unwillingly shaken from you by such a cutesy statement. "I'm really happy to see the world through your eyes today, Yoosung, if only for a moment. If you don't mind, can we do this again sometime?"

Yoosung smiles warmly, and it takes every ounce of restraint to keep further giggles at bay. Hadn't you been praising him for his normalcy not so long ago? And here he was, smiling in such a way, and leaving a puddle of melted hearts in his wake! No wonder he went by  _Super_ man Yoosung!

"[First Name], you don't think I can get by without seeing your face after this, right? I want to talk with you as much as I can--whether that's like this, or through Whispers in the heat of battle!" he chirps, and, against your better judgement, you swoon.

"S-See you later, Yoosung," you mumble, your best attempts at practical farewell, and you wonder faintly which will kill you first: the stir craziness of being home-bound, or the life-wrecking capabilities of that goddamn smile.

 


	12. Cousin Rika

**707:**  you're so sly, [First Name]

 **707:**  but do you really think i can't mess with your phone as easily as i can with this app?

Your entire body bristles in fear at the sudden surge of instant-messages received. 

 **[First Name]:** wahtare you ta;lsdkjflking about? ^^;

_Shit._

**707:** you can't fool me

 **707:** yoosung is over the moon about your cute face~

Seemlessly, the fear that had overtaken the whole of your body melted into something deeply curious.

 **[First Name]:**  Did he say something? >///<

 **707:** criiiiiiiinge!

 **707:**  but seriously, you know i had to discuss this with v, right?

And then, the fear returned two-fold.

 **[First Name]:**  I'm sorry!

 **[First Name]:**  But, in my defense, isn't it illegal to keep me here?

Your message garners no response for a short while, and you begin to panic. What if those "17 bodyguards" Seven had once mentioned were equipped to take you out? What if your final moments were spent in this goddamn prison? What if you never got to see Yoosung or Park or your parents ever again?

 **[First Name]:** plz don't kill me O.O

 **707:** lolololol

 **707:**  relax, [First Name]

 **[First Name]:** What's so funny? >.<

 **707:**  i told V that you guys were getting goo-goo-eyed lately

 **707:**  and that your previous video calls hadn't jeopardized anything too private 

 **707:**  he agreed that, since Yoosung's pretty harmless in the end, seeing each other 

 **707:**  o v e r the phone

 **707:** was acceptable

 **[First Name]:**!!!

 **[First Name]:** if that's alright then

 **707:**  no, not a chance

 **[First Name]:**  BUT

 **707:**  yoosung could be followed, Rika's classified documents left behind could be compromised, you and anyone you had over could be in danger

 **707:**  that's why only v and i have been entrusted with your whereabouts~

 **[First Name]:**  Well then, why don't you come over and teach me how to hack or something?

 **707:**  somehow i don't think yoosung would like that very much~

 **707:**  but maybe it's something v could agree to in time

 **707:**  after all, who can resist a request made by me, the greatest hacker in the world?

 **[First Name]:**  everyone, all the time

 **707:**...

**707 has left the chat.**

**[First Name]:** I wasn't done with you! 

 **[First Name]:** How did you know about me and Yoosung?

 **[First Name]:** how do you KNOW that our chats were safe?

In frustration, you toss your phone across the couch of Rika's apartment. Just where did he get off constantly toying with your life? Didn't he realize how stressful it was to think that your life was in jeopardy over a freakin' video chat? Didn't he know how miserable it was to be cooped up all day for the sake of work? Did he even work outside of frivolous hacking, anyway?

**[First Name] has left the chat.**

**~○~**

The truth of the matter was the you and Yoosung hadn't really seen that much of each other in the long run. In the days that followed your first video chat, there was often little conversation time to be shared between his academic duties, your RFA workload, and the late-night hours the two of you sat aside for the sake of boosting your in-game ranks. After all, you _had_  to sign in every day for the login bonus, didn't you?

Furthermore, on the off-chance that the two of you had time between quests for chatter, your chaste exchanges would exist solely of typo-ridden combat strategies. So, if your schedules did happen to afford for some one-on-one time, it often came at an inopportune moment such as right before Yoosung was about to catch the bus, or in the middle of one of you trying to whip up some sort of rushed meal. In this way, if you thought about it, you had only had three or four video chats with him at the best since the first, and even then those were only a few minutes long at best.

Perhaps it was because of the attention Seven had called to the matter, but you felt as though things as they stood were long overdue for a fifth chat. After all, you'd gotten quite a bit of work done today, and what was one small chat cutting into your LOLOL time anyway? If it were for good cause, you really didn't think Yoosung would mind all that much. Or, at least, you sincerely hoped that he wouldn't.

**Calling Yoosung.**

After only a couple of rings, you were relieved by the sudden salutations of the aforementioned male, who appeared to be seated at a small computer disk, and waving enthusiastically at you with his free hand.

"[First Name], having difficulty logging in?" Yoosung inquired, and his brow furrowed in what you presumed to be either confusion or worry. 

"It's not that, Yoosung," you began, a little unsure of how to broach the subject."Well, I guess you could say we're busted." 

"What do you mean?" Yoosung sought clarification from you, and scratched gingerly at his cheek. 

"Seven couldn't resist the chance to tease me about our video chats--did you tell him about it? D-Do you and Seven talk about me?" In the end, you had decided it was better to dive into the thick of things, sooner rather than later.

"I--ehh," Yoosung sputters, and you marvel at the dusting of pink about his pale features. "It's true that I might have been too excited about spending time with you when I talked to him, but, the "video" aspect of things he must have got from snooping. He has access to all of the chat, text, and voice logs, you know?"

"He  _what_?That's a total breach of my privacy!" you snarl, and your pound your knee with a tightly-clasped fist. "Just you wait 'til the party, Yoosung, I'm gonna  _kill_  him."

Yoosung laughs at your outburst, and it calms you a bit to revel in the gentle timbre of the sound.

"I want to hold back, but I can't help but find this irritable side of [First Name]-ssi really cute," Yoosung admits tentatively, and you practically faint at the way he stares into your eyes as he says this. Not only had he just called you cute--he had called you, "cute," hadn't he? But he'd addressed you far more informally than he ever had before.

It wasn't as though it was uncommon for the members of the RFA to address each other with the casualty of long-time pals, but the way Yoosung had just addressed you was usually reserved for Park--and that was only when he was trying his best to get on your nerves.

"I-I guess that slipped out too," Yoosung murmured bashfully after a few moments of heart-pounding silence between you. "Is that okay?"

A little intimidated by his forward request, you gulp. "We-Well," you pause, chewing nervously on your bottom lip. "What should I call you, Yoosung?"

"I like the way you say my name now, [First Name]. I couldn't bear to hear something different." As he says this, Yoosung breaks eye contact with you, instead opting to shift his gaze towards contents of his floor. "The party is rapidly approaching, isn't it?"

Thank goodness he'd changed the subject! If anything more had been said along those lines, you were beginning to wonder if your newfound status of "ball of mush" would make performing your vocational duties a bit more difficult.

"Yes, and I'm glad," you retort openly, "It was a lot of work getting everybody on that list to say yes to an RSVP, you know! The party will be a relief for so many reasons." 

"Everyone agreed to come, [First Name]?" Yoosung exclaimed with wide eyes. "I knew you'd be good for the position, but I should have realized how much you were like Rika."

 _What?_ Was he really comparing you to his deceased family member, and not long after calling you "cute" ? Well, that...was okay, wasn't it? He must have meant it in the "cute as a puppy" way, anyway. That was fine, you assured yourself wordlessly, never mind the odd twang of your heart.

"I-I wouldn't say that," you dismissed with a wave of your hand. "Only time will tell if this party is half as good as ones your cousin used to throw. Still, though, I'm giving it my best shot."

"I think there's a reason why we get along so well, [First Name]," Yoosung begins, his tone unusually serious. "Isn't it because you and Rika are so much alike? W-When I talk with you, it somehow feels as though she is no longer so far gone from this Earth..."

"I-Is that so?" you hum, falsely upbeat. "I'm happy to be of comfort to you, Yoosung, but isn't there something to say for our differences? Maybe--Maybe Rika wasn't as into the League as I am?" 

"When she wasn't overworking herself, Rika spent a lot of her free time with V," Yoosung explains after a moment or two of digesting your point. The hint of bitterness about him, once again, does not go unnoticed by you.

"I can tell that you really miss her," you reply timidly, not at all revealing the inner-turmoil of your emotions in that moment. So, Yoosung was kind of using your friendship as a vehicle for easing his grief? So he found a bit of similarity between you and Rika? After all, the two of you shared the same job, the same apartment, the same inner circle. It was only natural to see one in the other at least somewhat, wasn't it?

You tried your best to be casual about the comparison Yoosung had made, but you could not shake the feeling in the pit of your stomach that grew larger and more consuming with every mention of Rika's name. It had only been a couple of weeks with the RFA now hadn't it, just when had you started to care about how Yoosung Kim saw you? And, for that matter, just why the  _hell_ did it make you feel so small?

"I-I know I'm being kind of a buzzkill, Yoosung, but do you think you could fly solo tonight?" you inquire rather gloomily. Attempting to appear far more unshaken than you actually are, you scratch casually at the back of your neck. "I guess something I had for lunch didn't agree with me, but, somehow, I'm not feeling very well."

Yoosung's eyes widen with alarm as he promptly responds, "[First Name], are you taking ill? You have to take better care of yourself--oh, I don't care if I have to filter its delivery through Seven _and_ V, I'm sending you some seaweed soup. Your health should always be a priority!"

You'd like to say that your current angst is a direct result of the guilt you feel for canceling on Yoosung, but, in the end, you're pretty sure it's because, deep down, you know that he must be comparing your fake nausea to Rika's real-life health decline in his heart.

"Thanks for thinking of me, Yoosung," you mumble, and oh, if only he  _were_. 


End file.
